The next day, two 15-year-olds from New Fairfield were seriously hurt in Brewster, N.Y. The day after, an 11-year-old boy was found dead in the woods near his home in Roxbury.

Those stories, which drew the attention of newspaper readers and television news viewers across the state less than two weeks ago, were linked by a common thread: All resulted from accidents involving all-terrain vehicles.

Under some circumstances, such a flurry might spark calls for community intervention or legislative action, similar to the recent public response to the wave of drug overdose deaths in New Milford and elsewhere.

But a closer look at the three accidents shows significant differences in the causes. They also illustrate the impracticality, as one veteran lawmaker said, of attempting to regulate an activity that, in Connecticut, is supposed to be confined to private property.

"I support sensible, practical laws that encourage public safety, but I stop short when they are unenforceable," said state Rep. David Scribner, R-Brookfield, who led the effort several years ago to tighten laws governing drivers 18 years old and younger.

"It's one thing when you are talking about young people operating on public highways where the safety of others is concerned," Scribner said. "But when a person of any age is on private property, they are virtually impossible to enforce."

Between 1982, when ATVs first became popular, and 2011, the last year for which information is available, 44 people died as a result of ATV accidents in Connecticut, according to the federal Consumer Products Safety Commission. Of that number, seven were 16 and younger.

Nationally, ATV fatalities for the same period were 11,688, of which 2,865 were 16 and younger and 1,226 under the age of 12, the CPSC said.

Nationwide, ATV accidents claimed 327 lives in 2011, according to the CPSC -- although that number could increase as more data becomes available -- and sent another 107,000 to the hospital. About 29,000 of the injured were under 16.

Although some enthusiasts say that they enjoy riding year-round, the summer months of June, July and August are when most accidents occur, the CPSC said.

Three of the four victims of the three recent crashes were in the under-16 age group.

Two, Anthony DeNicolais and Kyle Monaco, both 15, of New Fairfield, were hospitalized after DeNicolais crashed his father's ATV on State Line Road in Brewster on June 18.

DeNicolais was driving south when he failed to negotiate a curve, ran off the road and struck a rock and trees, according to New York State Police. Both he and his passenger, neither wearing helmets, suffered back and leg injuries and were hospitalized. Monaco also suffered a head injury, police said.

Trooper Melissa McMorris said DeNicolais was operating "at an unsafe speed" and also was driving on the road, which is against the law in most states.

Because Edward DeNicolais, Anthony's father, owned the ATV, he was ticketed for the violations, McMorris said.

DeNicolais said the boys took the ATV without permission, and he doesn't think tightening the current rules governing ATV use would have made a difference.

"It was foolish and it was preventable," he said. "There are regulations, and kids have to follow them. Sometimes they make bad decisions and get hurt. But I don't think they'll be finding good times at this house for a while."

The next day, an 11-year-old Roxbury boy, Joseph "Joey" Awlasewicz, went missing while riding an ATV near his home on Carriage Lane.

Searchers found his body several hours later. Police said he had gone off the road and down an embankment.

"This young man was an experienced rider," said state police spokesman Lt. Paul Vance. "It was not uncommon for him to ride on trails near his home."

Awlasewicz was wearing a helmet, Vance said.

The only one of the four over 16 was 19-year-old Austin Tautkus, of Ellington, who'd recently completed his freshman year at Western Connecticut State University and was a wide receiver on the football team.

Tautkus was returning to his house for lunch June 17 when his ATV flipped over, pinning him underneath. Friends working with him managed to get him out, but he suffered head and neck injuries and died the next day at Hartford Hospital.

Citing the death toll, especially among children, the American Association of Pediatrics recently warned parents that no child under the age of 16 should drive or ride an ATV, arguing that children are not capable of operating such complex machinery.

ATV manufacturers are required to label each machine with tag indicating an appropriate age for the rider. Some models are designed for children as young as 6.

That doesn't mean that all 6-year-olds are mature enough to ride them, said Amber Purcell, chief instructor with the SVIA, who has been teaching safe riding techniques for the past 12 years.

That decision is up to parents, she said.

Machines intended for the youngest enthusiasts have less powerful engines and are equipped with limiters that allow a parent to set a top speed, Purcell said.

"We tell every customer that comes in there is an age restriction," said Nicole Meyers, finance manager at Danbury Powersports and an ATV rider for the past 15 years. "It is strictly enforced."

SVIA-sponsored safe riding courses, which are offered free around the country, and manufacturers offer $100 gift certificates redeemable at dealers upon completing such courses, Purcell said.

Most states, including Connecticut, prohibit ATV use on public roads, a trend is developing in rural areas to change that, according to Kathy Van Kleeck, senior vice president at the SVIA.

"It is becoming a worrisome trend that some local jurisdictions are looking at adopting," she said. Because ATVs are equipped with knobby tires best suited for off-road use, they are not designed to grip paved surfaces, making them more difficult to control.

The association doesn't believe drivers need to be licensed, but its model legislation includes mandatory safety training for operators.